


After the Battle

by Emma_with_her_head_in_the_clouds



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Feels, Gen, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 15:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17603528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_with_her_head_in_the_clouds/pseuds/Emma_with_her_head_in_the_clouds
Summary: My headcanon of some of the heartbreaking scenes after the Battle of Hogwarts, focusing on Andromeda Tonks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while back, and just found it again and decided to post it. I might add more after the second chapter, or leave it how it is.

Andromeda was woken by a knocking at the door. She was surprised that she had fallen asleep at all; she had laid in bed worrying for most of the night. But on looking at the clock, it was now nearly 9am, so she must have fallen asleep at some point. The knock came again, slightly louder this time. Baby Teddy began to stir in his crib, so she walked over and picked him up, holding him close to her. Who was at the door? If it was Nymphadora and Remus, then they would have let themselves in. On the other hand, Death Eaters wouldn't bother knocking either; if they'd come for her and made it past the protective charms, they would have just stormed in.

She slowly made her way down the stairs, one arm holding Teddy and the other holding her wand out defensively in front of them. She tried not to think too much. Why weren't Dora and Remus back yet? It was hours and hours ago that her daughter had left the house, promising to be back soon.

"Who's there?" she asked nervously through the door.  
"It's Kingsley Shacklebolt," was the reply. He sent his Lynx patronus through the door as a sign of identification.

Andromeda slowly opened the door. As soon as she did, her heart dropped. Before Kingsley even said anything, she knew he was there with bad news. She could see from his face.  
"I'm so sorry…" he started.  
"Where's my Dora!? Where is she?"  
"I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. As you may know, there was a battle at Hogwarts last night against You Know Who, and his Death Eaters. He was defeated, but at a cost. Tonks… [he paused to correct himself], Dora, was one of the casualties."   
Andromeda started to cry. "No, no, please don't tell me my baby is dead!"  
"I'm so sorry."  
"Where is Remus?"  
Kingsley took a breath before he spoke. "I'm sorry. He also fell in the battle."  
She held Teddy close to her, trying to process the fact that this tiny baby had just lost both his parents. They were all each other had left.   
"I know this probably won't make things any easier, but they didn't die in vain. You Know Who was defeated. He's gone, for good." He gestured to Teddy. "He's going to grow up in a world that's free from You Know Who's tyranny. A better world. I only wish it didn't come at such a cost."

They both stood silently for a few seconds.  
"Won't you come in for a drink or something?" she asked Kingsley, "You must be tired…"  
"I'm sorry, but I can't stay. I have to get back. There's so much to do. Trying to set right all the chaos. I just wanted to be the one to come tell you. I owed them that. They were great people, Tonks and Lupin. They will be greatly missed."


	2. Chapter 2

It was late afternoon when Andromeda got another visitor. She didn't bother asking before she opened the door this time. It wasn't going to be who she wanted it to be.

Stood there was a young man. It was less than a year since he had arrived at the house before, in a rather more dramatic fashion, but he had aged a lot since then. Not necessarily in a bad way; last time was just before he came of age, but today, stood on the doorstep, he looked like a man. Nervous, yes, and tired, but also ready to meet his Godson. There was a sense of determination in him. Just like Teddy, he had lost his parents as a baby. But he would make sure Teddy grew up with a Godfather, something that had been denied to him.  
"Harry," she greeted him, with a sad smile.  
"Mrs Tonks. I just want to come over and say I'm so sorry about Tonks and… I mean Nymphadora…" he started, nervously.  
"I know," she cut him off (but not in a harsh way), "Come on in."

She lead him through to the living room. Memories came back to Harry of waking up on the sofa there after crash landing in the garden the day he left Privet Drive for the last time. That seemed so long ago now. So much had happened since (even considering the fact throughout the year he had spent so much of the time feeling like nothing was happening, just endless camping).   
"I'll go make us some tea," she told him.  
"Oh, no, I don't want to be any bother!"   
"Don't worry dear. Sit yourself down. I'll be back in a minute."

Harry avoided the sofa and sat himself down in an armchair, feeling awkward. He didn't know what to say to her. He felt responsible for Tonks and Lupin's deaths. For all the deaths. So many deaths. He didn't even know if he knew about them all, fearing that he would keep hearing that another person he once knew had died fighting for him.

Andromeda brought the tea through, placing a mug down in front of Harry. They sat in silence for a minute, not awkward as such, but neither knew what to say. The silence was interrupted by the noise of a baby crying, seemingly echoing around the room. It surprised Harry at first, but Andromeda seemed used to it, standing up expectedly. Presumably it must have been a spell that functioned similarly to a muggle baby monitor.   
"Seems Teddy's awake. I'll go fetch him."

Harry stood nervously whilst he waited to meet his Godson. He tried to make himself look presentable. This was a big deal. A big responsibility. He was determined to be there for Teddy. To look out for him.

He turned towards the opening door, eyes drawn to the baby in her arms, his bright pink hair sticking out at angles. Harry's heart caught in his throat. So many emotions. He hadn't had chance to probably reflect on the events of the night, feeling rather overwhelmed all day. But this moment right now, had the most feelings jammed into a single second. All of his feelings towards Lupin and Tonks; loss, pain, guilt. His emotions about being a Godfather; fear, nervousness, pride, responsibility, determination. Complex echoes of emotion about the similarities between Teddy's story and his own. And now a new one; love. He knew he was going to love Teddy, almost like a son. The pink hair looked almost outrageous on a baby, and yet so right. He was only weeks old, but Harry almost felt he could sense the personality the boy would develop.

"Would you like to hold him?" Andromeda asked, drawing Harry out of his thoughts. He held out his arms, and the tiny bundle was slowly lowered into them. Harry had never held a baby before, never really having much experience with young children at all.   
"Hello," he cooed to the little face looking up at him, "Hello Teddy. I'm Harry, I'm your Godfather. It's nice to finally meet you." He carefully sat back down, making sure not to jolt him. He smiled at Andromeda. "He's amazing!" He watched Teddy yawn. At first Harry thought he was going to fall asleep again, but instead his hair suddenly changed colour to grey-brown, and he appeared to look up at him expectedly. Harry looked across to Andromeda, surprised.  
"He's been doing that all day," she explained sadly, "He keeps switching between Remus' hair, and that ridiculous pink colour Dora always liked to make her hair."  
"He's looking for them," Harry stated sadly, realising what she already had.   
"He's never been this long without seeing them. He doesn’t understand. He doesn't understand that they're not coming back." Tears started welling in her eyes.  
"I'm so sorry."  
"I know. It's not your fault. They fought for what they believed in. They never were the type to stand back and let bad things happen. They wanted to save the world. It sounds like they did. I only wish it didn't cost so much."

They stayed quiet for a while.  
"Did you see them, before…" Andromeda asked.  
"Yes. I spoke with them, briefly. They both seemed so determined. They were fighting for him," Harry nodded down at Teddy, who had now closed his eyes, "For a better future for him."


End file.
